How to Hold a Pencil
Saturday September 20, 2008
Many beginners ask how they ought to hold their pencil - and while some people say it doesn't matter, the way you hold the pencil can in fact make a big difference to your drawing. There is no one 'right way', but some methods suit different styles of drawing better than others. Perhaps you get tense about drawing, causing a vicelike grip that tires your hands? Or perhaps you are using an overhand grip that someone has told you to use for drawing, but which doesn't allow enough control for fine work? The best grip for drawing is the one that allows you enough control and enough freedom, without tiring your hands. You may find that you'll change grips for different stages of a drawing. This article, How to Hold a Pencil, shows some options to try.
Comments
Kudos to you, Helen for showing such nice pictures of a lefty grip. It’s made me rethink my own, which is basically the typical left-handed “crab” grab. Not likely to adjust much at this stage of the game, but it’s fun to consider small changes that wouldn’t force one to work from right to left in an effort to keep smearing and smudging to a minimum.
What I liked most was your newsletter stating that it is ok for beginners to need to ask stupid question or rather questions that feel stupid. I had my breakthrough in drawing when I changed my grip from “writing” to “sketching. So I think this article will be a good one for beginners
Trine
Just an added hint that helped me long ago and now helps many of my students: Since we all write from left to right when I make a line of tree tops or bush shapes I will hold my pencil or pen loosely in my right hand (I am right handed but also works for left handers to hold it in their left hand) perpendicularly to the paper and just sort of “Loop-de-loop” the shapes for the subjects. Otherwise, when going left to right we may add an “m”, or “l” or some other letter without realizing it. This method gives a more lyrical, and loose result. Hope that makes sense!!!
I don’t know how I ended up with a such a functional grip - by accident, I think - I don’t remember ever being corrected. My kids insist on ‘hooking’ their hands over the top of their writing - never a good idea, as it stresses the wrist and causes smudging. I write ‘underneath’ my work, with the paper tilted.
How does that saying go, Trine - ‘the only stupid question is the one you DON’T ask!’
Great tip, Helen. I think that trick of switching hands is a useful one to break out of habitual mark making. I’ll be adding this to my ‘advanced’ drawing tips section soon!